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The third most powerful nation of Feila, ruled by the Canine. The current system of government is Feudalist/Absolute Monarchy, with the monarch as the control of power and the aristocracy. It's military is fourth largest in number, and weaker than Gawain's or Edwin's. It consists of the Domus Army and Navy. It is geographically one of the smaller nations of Feila. Similar to Earth's medieval France.

The excavation above which Miko was standing was quite difficult to reach. In fact, the path to get there was thin and slippery, with only a few steps of an old stairway having resisted through time and rain. One would also have to be careful not to fall into a ravine while climbing down. The Northern Cocotte Mountain was known for the numerous lives it took from adventurous yet unprepared and hot-headed furs. At least, the weather was clement, and they would not have to fear a storm. But this was where he wanted to go without any doubt: there was no need for a spyglass to notice the engravings all around what seemed to be the door of a temple. Those were reading “Sacred Ground of Loup”.

The thief decided to review what was in his bag as he was waiting for his new companions. While he left much room for any artefact he would get his paws on, he brought at least a rope, a few lockpicks, food, a torch and a lighter. He also thought it would be useful to bring a blank piece of paper to draw a map when inside the ruin, in case it was larger than it would seem at a first glance. However, he hoped they would not encounter any big threat, for he could not afford to buy medicine for a whole group of foragers.

Miko sat on the ground. He was sure Natsuki would come anytime soon. Darwin also told him he would come. But in the case of Morpha, Miko did not hear about her since the tavern. He hopped that showing off her summoning skills did not get her attention from ill-intentioned people. It has been a real surprise for him to get so many people interested in doing business with him, yet it would not be moved if only Natsuki were to join him.

The trip to the excavation probably wouldn't have been too unduly difficult for a prepared and unencumbered fur; one of these, Natsuki was not. She refused to leave her pack anywhere, it contained her livelihood after all. As it was she cursed, and struggled her way up a too narrow path, barely making it through some areas without slipping off and down the mountain.

Eventually the diminutive vixen made her way to the, at least slightly safer, staging area that Miko had told them to meet him at. She cursed quietly under her breath as she leaned against a boulder to catch her breath some. "Just had to pick the most inaccessible place you could find didn't you." She commented in slightly teasing tones as she noticed that Miko was already there. "I swear though, if I would have fallen, I would have haunted you for the rest of your days." She told him in deathly serious tones before she chuckled. "I guess I'm the first one here....well other than yourself at least." She said as she stood straight again, and moved closer to where Miko was.

She eventually set her pack down on the ground, and opened it in search of some of the food she had brought with her. "How long do you think before the others show up?" She asked conversationally as she eventually found some dried meat, and began to gnaw at it.

Darwin had no love of climbing mountains. While he was not worried about falling, he did worry that someone from the tavern might not make it. His satchel contained few items; a small notepad, a small amount of food, and a woolen bracelet. He reach the top, breathing heavily, but not exhausted. He was relieved to see the two others at the top, but a bit concerned about the moth. She did say she was fragile.
"Hey," he said to the others, catching his breath. While Darwin could have easily appeared on the mountain without climbing up it, he preferred walking.
"How long did I keep you waiting?"

Miko did not notice Natsuki until she spoke to him, teasing him for having chosen one hard place to meet. He smiled at her before bursting out of laugh at the idea of her haunting him. He swiped his left eye as a tear was going to appear and moved a little to his right to leave some place for her to sit. “Yup, you are the first one to come… hopefully full-fleshed!” He was glad she made it. Somehow, he was thinking they could do some great things together, and maybe something else than robbing and delving. Then, Natsuki sat next to him and grabbed some food to keep her energy up. “I am sorry for that hard walk, you seem a little exhausted. We will rest here a while, as we don’t know what’s waiting for us further. And Darwin isn’t here yet, but he assured me he will come.” He gave a gentle smile to Natsuki, showing he was truly sorry. After all, it would have been nice from him to warn them about the mountains, it would have saved Natsuki from bringing that much stuff. “If you want to lighten your load, I can take some of your stuff.”

He looked at his boots and grabbed his knees with both hands. “You know, I told you back in the tavern, the first time we met, if you could help me with something. Well… if you’re okay with that, I… I’d need you to play music for me later.” He was blushing under his fur, and his eyes got this shy expression no one could hide. “It’s not an emergency, but I have something I wish to tell to someone close to me, and as she likes music a lot… I think she misses my voice too and…” His thoughts mixed up and he just stared at Natsuki’s dried meat, waiting for an answer.

A minute that felt an hour later, Darwin appeared out from nowhere. Miko shook his head to push away his feelings and greeted him with a smile. “No, don’t worry, you’re on time!” Compared to Natsuki, he did not seem exhausted at all. He also noticed he came light-weighted. If they find a lot of good relics, the two of them would be able to carry them. But first, they will have to cross the ravine to reach the opening of the excavation. “We will not wait for Morpha any longer. I will leave a message for her so she could find us, and then…” He looked at the ravine and searched for a path to cross it. “One of us will have to get to the other side. We can use the rope I brought to make a bridge, so the two others can get there easily.”

While Natsuki and Darwin were discussing about who should get there first, which would be Darwin or himself he guessed, he kneeled and used dark magic to write so only Morpha could read it. If any other dark magic user were to come by, they would be able to decode the message too, but it was unlikely to him that someone would come.

“So… Who is to cross first?” He smiled like a child ready to play one of his favourite games.

Natsuki shrugged when Miko suggested that she was exhausted. She had to admit that she was a little worn by the hike, but she'd been through worse. "I'll be fine, just need a couple minutes." She replied. She looked like someone reached out and slapped her across the muzzle when Miko offered to take some of her stuff. "Thank you, but no thank you." She replied hastily. "My pack is my livelihood, and no offense intended, but I don't let others carry it for me." She offered a smile to counter any sting her words may have held. "I may try to find somewhere inside the ruins to stash it till we're ready to leave." She finished.

She gave a delighted laugh when Miko asked if she would play music for him. "Of course I don't mind playing music. I love to play, and am always grateful for an appreciative audience." She replied with a large, genuine smile. Her smile grew impish as Miko explained, probably not well enough, who he wanted her to play for. "Aww, got a girl you want to confess your love to, isn't that romantic." She gently teased. "I will play for you." She may have said something else, but Darwin had showed up and things were coming down to business.

She looked across the ravine as Miko mentioned one of them getting to the other side with a rope for a bridge. She looked back and forth between Darwin, and Miko. "Well, I can get to the other side fairly easily, that is unless you'd rather do it Darwin." She offered. She knew she could use her spellfire for one big leap across, but she didn't know what Darwin could do, he may have been able to get across as easily as snapping his fingers.

"Ah, great!" Darwin responded to Miko. He was glad he hadn't caused them any delay. He had little to say, walking with the two. They reached the gap, mist rising from the dark below.
Darwin was about to answer Miko when Natsuki offered. He looked at Natsuki, and nodded lightheartedly. He didn't mind someone else doing the adventurous things when it came down to it. He preferred to simply explore. Most importantly, however, was to find a certain object. He had not told the others of it, as he did not want to trouble them with it.
"No, you go ahead."

"Haha, okay then, I'll go!" He took his rope in his bag and tied himself around his waist, and then tied the other end to a rock. He asked the two if they could grab it firmly in case he'd fell, put his bag on his back, and started to climb down the area where they were. The Cocotte Mountains was made of angular rock formations, making the evolution on it's surface easier. He managed to get at the level of the entrance without any difficulty, but the most dangerous move was to be made now. To reach it, he had no choice but to jump from the wall, for a leap that was a little longer than it seemed from above. He looked at Natsuki and Darwin and yelled so they could hear him.

"I will have to jump to the other side! I think I'll be able to grab the edge of the plateau... If not, we'll find another way." He breathed deeply, climbed a few feet higher and propelled himself from the wall toward the entrance. While he was quite athletic, he was only able to grab the edge from the tip of his right paw, his feet hanging and feeling like attracted to the emptiness of the ravine. He growled to get enough strength to raiser his left arm, and then to drag himself to safety. Exhausted, he bend to sigh and then gave a thumb up to his teammates. "Everything's alright! I'll tie the rope to a rock so you can come safely!"

After he did, he looked at the cave from the outside. As the sun could not get far into it, he thought he would use some magic to lighten their way later.
But maybe Natsuki and Darwin would rather stay hidden in the shadow.

Natsuki nodded as Darwin said that she should take the rope across. She was about to grab the rope and head for the edge of their side of the ravine when Miko announced that he would take it, and grabbed the rope. "If you want." Natsuki replied with a shrug when Miko decided he wanted to take the rope to the other side. She helped hold the end of the rope that Miko wasn't tied to, and watched as he made his way down to about the same level as the entrance they were trying to get to. She sucked in a sharp breath as Miko jumped for the ledge, it looked like he may not make it but he did manage to latch onto the edge. She let out a sigh of relief. "Should have insisted on doing it myself." She muttered to herself quietly. "Probably would have been easier on all of us." She sighed again and shrugged to herself.

Once the rope was secured, she dug through her pack and pulled out a long leather strap. She used it to create a sort of safety harness she could use to hold the majority of her weight while she pulled herself across the ravine on the rope. Once she made it to the other side, she stood beside Miko. "Did you bring any kind of light source with you?" She asked curiously as she peered into the darkness further into the cave.

Darwin was startled by Miko's sudden voice, then gave a light hearted laugh. He listened intently about Miko's plan. "I won't have any problem getting across," he said, knowing he did not need the rope. He didn't like using his power unless he was under extreme duress. But he decided to have a bit of fun. Without any warning, and as the others were distracted by the cave, he appeared on the other side. No time had passed from the moment he was on one side and the moment he was on the other.

Darwin peered inside the cave, seeing nothing but light fading into blackness. He would prefer a light source, and agreed with Natsuki.

Miko looked at Natsuki and laughed at her question. "Of course! I am no newbie you know. I just wonder about what would be better... using magic or a torch?" He looked again at the inside of the cave and suddenly felt the presence of Darwin by his side. He stared at him a few seconds, his eyes wide opened. "You were fast... I didn't see you getting here at all!" He smiled at him and got his eyes back at cave again.

"Well... I feel ahead some dark magic that fire might not be able to pierce through. Be on your guard." Saying this, he snapped his fingers and three balls emitting light appeared before them. Those would always stay a few meters in front of them, so whenever any one of them would look in a direction, one ball would get there. "Okay. Let's go."

The entrance of the cave was followed by a stair flight going deep down, opening to a hall for about thrice their height and big enough to welcome two hundred people. On the other side of the room,an altar was set on a stage. It was clearly the main part of a religious complex, and the three foxes could guess two doors on each side of the altar. Miko made a few step toward the wall on his right and start reading some engravings.

Suddenly, a dull sound came from to them. Even for their keen hearing, it was difficult to say the exact origin of the sound, or even if it was made by a living creature lurking in the penumbra. However they all knew that people thought this place to be a gate to Loup's territory, and that his emissaries were always on the look-out, guarding it from the unworthy.

(I let you set what will come next: a monster? A trap? A friendly wolf? ^^)

Natsuki gave an exaggerated shrug in response to Miko's claim that he wasn't a newbie, as if to say 'you never know'. "If you're going to use magic, be careful about it." She warned

She rolled her eyes a bit at Darwin when he appeared near them. She watched as Miko cast some sort of light spell, and the orb he assigned to her disappeared as soon as it came close. Her eyes briefly glowed blue as she absorbed the magical light. "Warned ya." She commented with a chuckle as she produced a ball of blue light above her palm, it wasn't quite as fancy as the lights Miko had conjured as it didn't float in front of her, but it at least lit the area around her.

A moment later though, she wished she did have Miko's light as they heard a dull sound. She looked around and noticed she had hit a tripwire, and before she could do anything else several crossbow bolts ripped through the darkness, one of them embedding in her shoulder. "Ah.." She cried out in pain, and initial shock. She quickly got hold on herself though, and looked around, hoping neither of the others had been hit, especially since she had been the one that set off the trap. "Um, watch your step." She announced in a strained voice.

"Ah, well, I prefer not to climb over high places with deadly pitfalls," he said, shrugging at Miko's comment. He walked into the tunnel, the ball of light just in front of him. When he saw the religious structures, he felt a bit more cautious. He'd never gotten along with religion, and religion never got along with him.

The sound of a trap activating didn't surprise him. An arrow headed straight for his chest, but before it connected, Darwin had disappeared and reappeared nearly half a meter away, again taking no time at all. He saw Natsuki's wound.
"Hey, are you okay?" he said, calmly but worryingly.

A dark feeling crawled down his spine. Something is very wrong with this place. His red eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit corridor. But it's not... no... it's not the red orb.

"Something is wrong with this place. We need to keep out eyes open." he said while offering to tend to Natsuki's wound.

Luckily, Miko's light was in such a position he could guess the bolts flying right toward him. He ducked, protecting his head with his paws, and managed to dodge them by a hair's breadth as they hit the wall and broke into many parts. Making sure no other would be shot, he reached Natsuki's side only to discover her wound. It was a chance she got hit in the shoulder and not in a vital organ. He mocked her to soften atmosphere. "I won't make any comment. I'll let you mend her wounds, Darwin. I will check the place."

Miko raised his arm and summoned his weapon, a bec-de-corbin imbued with light magic. The weapon was emitting a subdued light and would make him an easy target for an archer, but there was really low chances that they would encounter one in such a place. He assigned his ball of light to Natsuki, hoping she would keep it this time, and proceeded toward the altar. It was a simplistic heavy block of marble which looked like hollowed out by countless uses. He noticed a few other traps like the one Natsuki triggered, but they would not be a problem as long as they were watching their steps. Behind the altar, the wall seemed carved out with some kind of imagery difficult to guess, as many lines were crossing each other to form the image. "Maybe with the right lighting we could see what is represented...", he thought out loud.

Then, he threw a quick look to the two others rooms. The one on the left appeared to be a dormitory with a dozen of beds, and the right one was a library. Miko came back to the altar and looked carefully to the wall behind it. Some lines were carved deeper than others as if buttons were hidden, and the fox tried to push one of them. A purple light ran the lines around it, starting to draw out the image, but the entrance door of the cave shut down tight. He made an about-turn and saw two wolf warriors coming from the shadows behind Natsuki and Darwin. On of them was armed with a pair of curved swords, and the other with a lance.

"Sorry... It's coming!" he said, and aimed with his right hand. Two flows of light headed toward his allies from his palm, and merged around them to form a bright shield that would be strong enough to stand a couple of hits. A soft warmth started healing them slowly, and also bringing comfort.

"I will be if you can pull this bolt outta me." Natsuki grunted through gritted teeth at Darwin. She rolled her eyes at Miko's comment and replied. "Gee thanks." Her sarcasm evident even though her voice was strained from the pain in her shoulder.

She knelt on the floor, then sat on her feet so if she passed out while Darwin pulled the bolt out, she wouldn't have near as far of a fall. "Darwin, if you could be a dear please, and pull this thing out." She said, pointing to the crossbow bolt protruding from her shoulder. She wasn't paying attention to Miko as he sent another light near her. She could keep from absorbing magic near her if she concentrated on it, unfortunately that was the furthest thing from her mind. When the light came near, it was absorbed like the previous one. While Miko explored the area they were in, she pulled a pouch off of her belt, rolled it up, and put it in her mouth. She bit down on the rolled leather, braced herself, and nodded to let Darwin know she was ready for him to pull the bolt.

As Darwin pulled the bolt out, she couldn't help the pained grunt that escaped her as the pain hit her like a punch in the gut. Her vision swam for a few moments, and she thought for sure she was going to loose consciousness. After a few moments though, her vision cleared as endorphins kicked in, and the pain faded to a dull burning. As she climbed to her feet, the entrance they had come through suddenly sealed itself shut.

"Oh Great." She muttered as she heard footsteps from behind her, and turned around. Her eyes began to glow brightly blue as Miko sent yet more magic her way. "I told you I absorb magic." She called to him. "Though in this situation you don't necessarily need to stop." She continued as she took a couple steps away from Darwin so he could at least be covered by Miko's shield. As she moved, a blue-white flame shot from the wound in her shoulder, and seemed to almost melt her flesh back together. She was breathing heavily, but pushed through the pain, and settled into a ready fighting stance as her hands ignited in blue-white fire. She was ready for the distinct possibility of an attack from the two wolves who had seemed to appear from nowhere.

Darwin nodded to Miko, and waited for Natsuki to be situated. "On three. One..." He'd pulled it out already, blood spurting a bit from the force. Darwin held Natsuki up, making sure she didn't tip over. He looked at the head of the arrow. "It's not tipped, so I think you'll be fine. Heck of a hole, though." He searched his satchel for a bandage, but could not find one.

It was at that moment the door had shut. He turned around, Miko's shield already protecting him. He saw the two wolf warriors, and grinned. "You fella's must be lost." He stood in a casual pose, his arms crossed. He wasn't worried. In fact he never worried about himself.